If you’ve ever pulled a dry, flavorless chicken breast out of the oven and wondered what went wrong, I’ve been there too. After years of making quick weeknight dinners for my family, I found that the secret is what you put on top. This Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast is covered in a simple sauce made with melted butter, fresh garlic, seasonings, and parsley, then baked in just 20 minutes. The butter keeps the chicken juicy and tender the whole time it bakes. No brining and no complicated steps!
Say Goodbye to Boring Chicken Dinners!
If you’re looking for chicken dinner recipes that aren’t boring, this garlic butter chicken breast is about to become your new weeknight favorite.
I’ve been making versions of this recipe for years, and it’s one of those dishes my family never gets tired of. Pierre, my husband, asks for it on repeat and honestly, I get it. That garlic butter sauce is everything.
What I love most about this recipe is that it proves chicken breast doesn’t have to be dry, bland, or complicated. On Primavera Kitchen, I’ve built my whole approach around quick, easy dinner recipes for busy families and this one delivers every time. The garlic butter sauce does all the heavy lifting: it keeps the chicken incredibly juicy and tender, and packs in so much flavor that you don’t need to marinate, brine, or pound the meat beforehand. No extra steps, no mess, no stress.
I always serve it with my Parmesan Crispy Smashed Potatoes or creamy mashed potatoes since potatoes are perfect for soaking up every drop of that buttery sauce. It’s one of those dinners that feels a little special even on a Tuesday night.
Key Ingredients
All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Chicken Breast – I always reach for boneless, skinless chicken breasts when I need a quick, lean protein on a busy weeknight. After making this recipe more times than I can count, I know this cut works beautifully here. It soaks up the garlic butter sauce so well and stays juicy and tender when you don’t overbake it. That said, if chicken thighs are what you have on hand, go for it! They work great too.
Butter – I always use unsalted butter in this recipe, and I think that makes a real difference. It gives me full control over the salt, so the garlic and seasonings can do their job without the dish ending up too salty. I’ve learned over the years that this small detail matters more than people think.
Garlic – Please use fresh garlic here. I really mean it! I’ve made this with jarred, pre-minced garlic before, and it’s just not the same. Fresh minced garlic gives the butter sauce that sharp, aromatic flavor that makes this recipe so good. It’s one of those simple things that takes the whole dish to another level.
Love this garlic butter chicken breasts recipe. Moist, flavorful, quick prep, so delicious. This is the best way to prepare skinless, boneless chicken breast without drying the meat. I have used this recipe many times – always perfect.
By Barbara
How to Bake Chicken Breast
Step 1: Seasoning & Searing
I always season all sides with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika before searing for just 1 to 2 minutes per side. I’m not cooking the chicken here. I’m actually building flavor. I’ve found this quick sear is what locks in the juices and gives you that golden crust that makes all the difference.
Step 2: The Garlic Butter Sauce
I prefer fresh garlic over anything from a jar. I think the flavor difference is huge. I always use unsalted butter so I can control the salt, then I just mix everything together and pour it right over the chicken.
After that, the skillet goes straight into a 400F oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. I always recommend using an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature to make sure your chicken is perfectly cooked every time and never dry.
Step 3: The Finished Chicken
When it comes out of the oven, I like to spoon that garlic butter sauce from the skillet back over the top. I’ve learned it’s liquid gold, so don’t skip it! I also recommend letting it rest 5 minutes before serving. I think that’s what takes this baked chicken breast recipe with sauce from good to really, really good.
Foolproof Baked Chicken Breast Recipe Tips:
1. Don’t swap the butter for olive oil. I’ve tried it both ways, and trust me, the butter is what makes this recipe. It browns and bastes the chicken as it bakes, and that’s where all the flavor comes from.
2. Mix the garlic into the melted butter. Don’t add it raw directly on the chicken. I always mix the minced garlic into the butter sauce first so it gets coated and protected by the fat. This is what prevents it from turning bitter in the oven.
4. I always pull the chicken out of the fridge 15–20 minutes early. Then, I pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Cold chicken makes the butter seize before it can coat properly. Room temperature chicken makes such a difference here.
5. Rest it and save every drop of pan butter. I let mine rest for 5–10 minutes, and in that time the pan drippings thicken into the most incredible little sauce. I always spoon it over at the table. Don’t skip this step!
6. Big chicken breast? I cut it in half horizontally. Smaller, even pieces cook faster and you get so much more butter contact on every bite, which is exactly what we’re after here.
More Chicken Breast Recipes For Dinner
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix 1/4 teaspoon of paprika, butter, Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot add chicken breast. Sear until golden. It’s about 1-2 minutes each side.
- Pour garlic butter mixture over the chicken breast. Place skillet in the oven and cook until cooked through. It’s about 20 minutes or until chicken breasts gets to an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the chicken breast. Also, if you prefer, top with fresh herbs before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was such an easy recipe and so flavorful! Made it with egg noodles and poured the added leftover sauce from the chicken on it – so yummy!
SO so so yummy!
Made this last night and it was amazing! The chicken was juicy and tender. Loved the garlic butter sauce as well. This is a keeper in our dinner rotation for certain. Thanks!
So happy you liked this recipe. Yes the butter sauce is amazing! Thank you so much for leaving your comment!!
This dish is absolutely delicious and so easy!!! Thank you for posting it!
You’re very welcome!
Best recipe I’ve tried in long time. I added more butter and a little paprika with butter and seasoning mixture. My picky eaters gobble it up every time I make it. I’ve recommended to all my friends. So tasty and super easy which is a huge bonus.
Curious if you think recipe could be converted to a slow cooker? Any suggestion how to go about that!
This recipe is always a big hit with chicken. My son loves it.
Sorry I’ve never made this recipe in a slow cooker. Not sure if it would work, but if you try it please let me know how it turned out. Thanks a lot.
I made this dish and it was amazing. I added a bit more spice but followed everything else, chicken was very moist and tasty.
Oh yes chicken is so tender and juicy!
AMo essa delícia porque é super leve e saudável e sem falar do sabor 👏
Muito saborosa mesmo!
Could I transfer the chicken breasts to a glass baking dish after I sear the chicken? I’m going to be doubling the recipe.
Yes you absolutely can!
Can you make this with chicken thighs?
Yes you can!
Do you know what oven baked means? Frying it first is not oven baked. I need to make non fried foods for her health issue. Thanks for wasting my time.
Philip, I didn’t fry the chicken breast for this recipe. I only seared it for few minutes to give it a golden crust. At this point the chicken is still not cooked though. If you want, you can skip this step and place the chicken straight to the oven. Hope it helps.
Easy there sailor…..it’s just a sear. If (which I doubt) you can’t have olive oil there are plenty of options, and if your health is such a big concern I am sure you know what those options are.
The recipe has the work “butter” in it and you’re worried about a bit of olive oil for a sear? A pan sear and a deep fry and totally different things. Maybe you were having a bad day when you commented but it was a totally unnecessary thing to say.
Do you know what fried means? Searing something in a pan is not frying.
Great recipe! I adjusted recipe to make 4 chicken breasts. Took temperature after 25 minutes in oven (since skillet was crowded with 4). Temp was 175, but still sooo tender.
Great to hear that!
Amazing recipe, delicious and super easy !!!
What if I dont have a cast iron skillet? How can I adjust?
You can still be able to make this recipe with regular skillet that goes to the oven.
I made this and they’re right, it’s JUICY and FLAVORFUL!!! I’m subscribing to your recipes!!!
Perfect. Happy you are now part of my newsletter!
Can I use dried parsley or scallions?
Yes you can!
I made this last night and we LOVED it! I stuffed the chicken with a blend of cream cheese, a tiny bit of Italian seasoning, paprika and Monterrey Jack. Holy moly, it was delicious!!
Wow that’s amazing!
This recipe has 2 different instructions on oven heat. At the start of it it says a breast cooked at 350 takes 20-30 min. In recipe it says preheat oven to 400 and cook 20-30 minutes. Mine was dry because of this but otherwise flavourful. I would make again but lower oven temp to 350. My breasts were medium in size.
it will depend on the size of you chicken breast. If it’s thick, you should cook at 400F, otherwise 350F is good.
I will try this recipe out and come back with my feedback but it looks delicious already I can’t wait to cook it for my hubby😉👌
Hope you guys enjoyed it very much 😉
I’ve been looking for a recipe very similar to this but I want to make it in a crockpot. It’s supposed to be 100° here today. Has anyone made this in the crock pot?
My first time making this and it was so so Delicious!!! My kids love it!!! And I had made vegetable rice as side dish!!! So glad I found your recipe!!!!! Can’t wait to try more other of your recipes
And I am so glad to hear this. Thanks for stopping by and for your comment 😉
Wow- this was so easy to make and I happened to have ingredients on hand so made it at the last minute. Delicious! It was hot here today, so instead of heating the oven I cooked in a pan on the grill outside at around 350 for 20 minutes.
Happy you liked this recipe and thanks for stopping by 😉